Start up quickly, feedback energy into the network when braking or let the train roll on the right sections of a route – tact on the driving position can save energy: For more than ten years, the locomotive drivers of Deutsche Bahn (DB) apply an energy-efficient driving style. DB Cargo has saved around 90,000 tonnes of CO2 between 2005 and 2015.
In order to continue this success story, the locomotive drivers of DB Cargo will receive digital support for energy-saving driving in the future: 300 of the electric locomotives have been equipped with the LEADER driving assistance system. LEADER – “Locomotive Engineer Assist Display and Event Recorder” – shows the drivers tips via an additional display in the cabin, at what speed the most energy can be saved throughout the schedule and route profile.
“We are the first major European rail freight company to introduce a driving assistance system in a large part of the fleet,” says Steffen Bobsien, Asset Manager and Head of Technology Rail Freight at DB Cargo. “Together with the manufacturer Knorr-Bremse, we have shown how to successfully complete an innovative project by consistent practice orientation and implementing a system throughout Germany.”
The traction power consumption of DB Cargo is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of nearly one million of 2-person households. In addition to the positive effect on the environment, the energy-saving driving mode also has an economic component: energy costs boost the competitiveness.
When it comes to climate and noise protection, DB has set clear goals by 2020: 30 percent reduction in specific CO2 emissions compared to 2006, 45 percent renewable energy for the DB traction and halving the noise of railway compared with the year 2000.
